Former chairman of Chicago ad firm Needham Harper Worldwide

Paul C. Harper Jr. led a storied Chicago advertising firm in the 1960s that under his watch created work for McDonald's, Honda and Xerox.

Mr. Harper, 92, died of complications from pneumonia Saturday, Dec. 7, at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, Conn., said his son Sam.

Mr. Harper was the former chairman of Needham Harper Worldwide, a predecessor of what is now DDB Worldwide.

Keith Reinhard, chairman emeritus of DDB Worldwide, remembered Mr. Harper as a "fierce advocate" for advertising, fighting for the industry as a positive force and pushing the boundaries of what it could accomplish.

Reinhard considered Mr. Harper a mentor. He finally met him in the early 1970s after years of admiring his memos.

"He did not believe in rules because rules are what the artist breaks," Reinhard said.

Mr. Harper was born Dec. 16, 1920, in Coblenz, Germany, where his parents, Paul C. Harper and Anne-Lindsay White, were stationed during the American occupation. After his father's service ended, Mr. Harper family moved to Evanston.

He graduated from Yale University in 1942 and then served as an artillery captain with the Marines during World War II, fighting in Saipan and Iwo Jima, his family said. He earned a Bronze Star and was promoted to major.

Mr. Harper was a "creative and intellectually active kid," which made advertising an ideal career for him, his son Sam said. He started with Chicago-based Needham, Louis & Brorby and became president of the firm in 1960. Four years later, it merged with New York-based Doherty, Clifford, Steers & Shenfield, to become Needham, Harper & Steers. It later would be named Needham Harper Worldwide.

Under Mr. Harper's leadership, the agency worked with clients including McDonald's, Xerox, Honda and Anheuser-Busch. The agency was responsible for Xerox's "It's a miracle" commercial in 1975, which showed off how many copies could be made by a Xerox machine. He also oversaw Honda's "We make it simple" campaign.

In each campaign, Sam Harper saw his father's love for words and how messages could be crafted and driven home through brevity and repetition.

"It was all about the impact of simple messages communicated a lot," Sam Harper said.

He said his father was a "creative motivator" who found innovative ways to link the creative and management aspects of his profession

Reinhard recalled a trademark of Mr. Harper's leadership style: six creative guidelines that included tips such as "Break the pattern" and "Generate trust."

"He understands a creative organization runs best when there is a collective sense of principle and values," Reinhard said.

Reinhard succeeded Mr. Harper in 1984

Reinhard said Mr. Harper "saw where the industry was going" and anticipated the consolidation of advertising firms and the advent of media planning.

Throughout his career in advertising, Mr. Harper and his wife contributed to the arts. They created fellowships at the Vermont Studio Center, where he was a board member, and Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, where he later became the chairman. He also was a board member of the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum and The New School.

Mr. Harper retired to Lyme, Conn., where he hiked, canoed, and disappeared into the woods for hours at a time with his easel and paints.

Mr. Harper is survived by his wife of 67 years, Eleanor Emery Harper; two other sons, William and Charles; three daughters, Diana, Jessica Harper Rothman, and Lindsay duPont; 14 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.